Various trailer hitches have been proposed for connecting a "goose neck" type draw bar arranged on a trailer vehicle to a tractor vehicle, such as a pick up truck. Examples of these types of hitches are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,650,546 to Alvin D. Koenig dated Mar. 21, 1972; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,796,443 to J. Warren Crutchfield dated Mar. 12, 1974. These types of hitches are characterized by a sleeve movable over a pair of pivotal jaws to enclose the jaws around the ball hitching element on the pick up truck. While these types of hitches have been satisfactory for their intended purpose, they have required a great deal of manual dexterity and strength to connect and disconnect the trailer hitch.
After considerable research and experimentation, the trailer hitch of the present invention has been devised to overcome the difficulties experienced with conventional trailer hitches employed with "goose neck" draw bars, and comprises, essentially, a pair of pivotally connected jaws slidably mounted in a tube forming a portion of the "goose neck" draw bar. A spring is mounted in the tube for biasing the outer ends of the jaws outwardly therefrom to an open position, the jaws being slidable inwardly of the tube to a closed position wherein the spring is compressed and the jaws surround the conventional ball hitching element on a pick up truck. A latch is provided for holding the jaws in the closed position. By this construction and arrangement, the jaws are essentially cocked when in the closed position and when the latch is released, the biasing force of the spring moves the jaws outwardly of the tube to the released or open position, thereby providing a quick disconnect trailer hitch. Thus, the manual strength of the operator is assisted by the biasing force of the spring to thereby facilitate disconnecting the trailer from the pick up truck.